A Mass of Thanksgiving
for the life of

Fr Ted Kennedy

27 January, 1931-17 May, 2005

THE BLOCK, REDFERN
Tuesday 24 May, 2005

“The
Glory of God is man fully alive" St Irenaeus

Celebrated by Bishop David Cremin

Entrance Hymn

Spirit Dream

Spirit dream, in this ancient land,
From desert plains, to rivers and seas,
From mountains high, to valleys deep,
There is a sacred dream in all that lives,
This land and all it holds within,
Cries out and groans in giving birth,
When will its freedom be born?

SPIRIT DREAM
COME STIR IN EVERY HEART
NEW WISDOM AND HOPE IN ALL
FULFIL YOUR DREAM
MAKE REAL YOUR LIFE IN US
SPIRIT DREAM

Spirit dream, in the depths of our hearts,
In rich and poor, in weak and strong,
In restless souls, in yearning hearts,
There is a sacred dream in all who live,
To heal and reconcile all pain,
To honour and uphold in all,
Justice and true dignity.

Monica
Brown & Emmaus Productions 2001

Welcome

Welcome to Country

First Reading

Sr Marnie Kennedy

A Reading from the Book of Ezekiel
Ch 34: 11-16

For the Lord Yahweh says this: I am going to look after
my flock myself and keep all of it in view.
As a shepherd keeps all his flock in view when
he stands up in the
middle of his scattered sheep, so shall
I keep
my sheep in view.
I shall rescue them from wherever they
have been scattered during the mist and darkness.
I shall
bring them out
of the countries where they are; I shall
gather
them together
from foreign countries and bring them back
to their own land. I shall pasture them on the
mountains of
Israel,
in the ravines and in every inhabited place
in
the
land. I shall feed them in good pasturage;
the high mountains
of Israel will be their grazing ground.
There they will rest in good grazing ground; they
will
browse in rich
pastures on the mountains of Israel.
I myself will pasture my sheep,
I myself will show them where to rest -
it is the
Lord Yahweh who speaks. I shall look for
the lost one, bring
back the stray, bandage the wounded and
make the weak strong. I shall watch over the fat
and
healthy. I shall
be a true
shepherd to them.

This is the Word of the Lord.All: Thanks be to God.

Response to First Reading

The Lord is my Shepherd

Crimond

The Lord's my shepherd, I'll not want.
He makes me down to lie
In pastures green: he leadeth me
The quiet waters by.

My soul he doth restore again:
And me to walk doth make
Within the paths of righteousness,
Ev'n for his own name's sake.

Yea, though I walk in death's dark vale,
Yet will I fear no ill:
For thou art with me; and thy rod
And staff me comfort still.

Goodness and mercy all my life
Shall surely follow me:
And in God's house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

Second Reading

Michael Gravener

A Reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans
Ch 8: 31- 39

After saying this, what can we add? With God on our
side who can be against us? Since God did not
spare his own
Son, but gave him up to benefit us all, we
may be certain, after such a fight, that he will
not refuse anything he
can give. Could anyone accuse those that
God has chosen? When God acquits, could anyone
condemn?
Could
Christ Jesus?
No! He not only died for us - he rose from
the
dead, and there at God's right hand he stands
and pleads for us.

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of
Christ, even if we are troubled or worried, or being persecuted,
or lacking food or clothes, or being threatened or even
attacked. As scripture promised: For your sake we are being
massacred daily, and reckoned as sheep for the slaughter.
These are the trials through which we triumph, by the power
of him who loved us.

For I am certain of this: neither death nor life, no angel,
no prince, nothing that exists, nothing still to come,
not any power, or height or depth, nor any created thing,
can ever come between us and the love of God made visible
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This is the Word of the Lord.All: Thanks be to God.

Gospel Acclamation

All: Alleluia, alleluia (sung)

Gospel

Fr Peter Williams

The Gospel according to Luke
Ch 6: 17-23

Jesus then came down with them and stopped at a piece
of level ground where there was a large gathering
of his disciples
with a great crowd of people from all
parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the
coastal
region of Tyre and
Sidon who had come to hear him and to
be cured of their diseases. People tormented by
unclean
spirits
were also
cured, and everyone in the crowd was
trying to touch him because power came out of him
that
cured them all.

Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said:
'How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of
God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh'.

'Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse
you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the
Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy,
for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was
the way their ancestors treated the prophets'.

Homily

Prayers
of the Faithful

Offertory Procession

Offertory
Hymn

Fill my House

Fill my house unto the fullest,
Eat my bread and drink my wine,
The love I bear is held from no-one.
All I own and all I do, I give to you.

Take my time unto the fullest,
Find in me the trust you seek,
Take my hands to you out-reaching.
All I own and all I do I give to you.

Christ our Lord with love enormous,
From the cross His lesson taught:
Love everyone as I have loved you.
All I own and all I do I give to you.

Join with me as one in Christ-love,
May our hearts all beat as one,
May we give ourselves completely.
All I own and all I do I give to you.

Peter Kearney

Communion Hymns

Here I am, Lord

I, the Lord of sea and sky;
I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin my hand will save.
I who made the stars at night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them? Whom shall I send?

RefrainHere I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne My people's pain.
I have wept for love of them. They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak My word to them. Whom shall I send?

Refrain

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them. My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give my life to them. Whom shall I send?

Refrain

St Louis Jesuits

The Beatitudes

Blessed are the poor in spirit
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
Blessed are the gentle
For they shall possess the land.

Blessed are they
that hunger and thirst after justice,
Blessed are they
that suffer gladly for justice sake.

Blessed are they that mourn
for they shall be comforted,
Blessed are the pure in heart
for they shall see God.

Blessed are you
when they revile and harm you
And speak all evil
against you untruly for my sake.

Blessed are the merciful
for mercy they will find,
Blessed are the peacemakers
for they shall be called God's children.

Peter Kearney

Be Not Afraid

AntiphonBe not afraid
I go before you always
Come follow Me,
and I will give you rest.

You shall cross the barren desert,
but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety
though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands
and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live.

Antiphon

If you pass through raging waters in the sea,
you shall not drown.
If you walk amid the burning flames,
you shall not be harmed.
If you stand before the pow'r of hell
and death is at your side,
know that I am with you through it all.

Antiphon

St Louis Jesuits

Be Thou my Vision

Rob tu mo bhoile, a Comdi cride

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart,
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought in the day and the night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, be thou my true word,
I ever with thee, and thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father and I thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with thee one.

After Communion

Reflection
song

Tributes

Final Prayer

Blessing of the Coffin

Didgeridoo Lament

Recessional

Where is your Song, my Lord?

Songs I like I sing,
Life is a song I should sing,
Where is the song of this day?
Peaceful and joyful and gay,
The way it should be,
This day it should be full of light,
Full of love,
So sing me the song of this day.

Where is your song my Lord?
Where is your song my Lord?
Where is your song?
Sing us your song.
Song of this day, my Lord.

Lonely, I walk with my cares,
Sadly, through streets and through squares
I have nothing to say
But oh I could sing all the day
If you'll make me a song,
A most beautiful song,
A most wonderful song full of light, full of love,
So make me a song for this day.

Silent we've been for so long,
Help us in making your song rise like a sun all our days.
The air will be filled with our praise.
We'll praise with our lives. We'll sing with our lives.
We'll sing with our lives full of light,
Full of love,
So make us a song for this day.

Peter Kearney

Salve Regina

At the end if Mass all are invited to refreshments at
the adjoining Redfern Centre.

At 2.00pm the cortege will leave for Waverley Cemetery.
All who wish to come are most welcome.

There is another way

It is now that I tend to stand back and take
stock and say to myself that there must be
another way. Like the
lengthening shadows of the late afternoon
light in my life, the whole of life seems cast
in
a new and more realistic
translucent perspective. The crimson glow
of the setting sun which I now see as not so distant
reminds me that life
is made up of warm flesh-and-blood human
beings,
not rules made in an age long gone, or ill-fitting
principles that
were never made-to-measure anyhow.

The Jesus I know is no cold, hard Iron-Christ; nor does
Jesus deserve to be reduced to smug, glib and uncompassionate
irrelevancies when the real meaning of His love is what
people need so desperately.

"Who is Worthy?" Ted
Kennedy

Our
gratitude goes to all those who have contributed
to this great celebration.

Fr Ted Kennedy and Mum Shirl

Between God's love and those who
turn to it, let no-one place an
obstacle.